OK, we know greenwashing when we see it, but this is just ingenious greenwashing! Coinstar has decided to celebrate national coin week and Earth Day this year by making you feel guilty about all the coins you have sitting around your house.
Now, I know Coinstar provides a fantastic service, having availed myself of it several times. But I bet you didn't think it was an environmental service, did you!
It turns out that the billions of coins sitting idle in American households right now basically represent a squandered resource. The U.S. mint is, right now, printing coins (from non-renewable resources) to replace the coins that hide in our mason jars and couch cushions. Putting those billions of coins back into circulation would decrease mining, refining, and shipping substantially. They've even launched a little calculator at "Change for our Earth dot Com" to determine how much you can help the Earth by cashing in.
I'm not saying that they're lying about all this. It actually is an environmental service. But they haven't changed anything about what they do...it's just a new message for the week. Still, I hope it will get people out, turning their heavy money into to usable money, and getting change back into the system. Apparently it could have some fairly significant impacts.
Coinstar estimates that there are $10 B in coins sitting idle in American homes. If only 15% of those coins were re-entered into circulation (preferably via Coinstar's automated counters, which will pinch a few pennies for themselves) it would save 82 million showers worth of water and 12,000 cars worth of CO2 emissions! And, if you donate your earnings to Coinstar partner, the World Wildlife Fund, that should make you feel all the greener.
So go! Turn that change back into money! For the Earth, for yourself, and for Coinstar!
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by Coin Update, April 16, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by Virgil, April 16, 2008
What I never get about these machines, is why anyone would be so freakin' lazy as to not count their own coins of an evening, and just save them up and donate to charity at the end of the year? Why pay someone the 10c (?) per $ that it takes to put it in one of these machines?
Oh, and (AHEM!) of course their machines aren't made of metal, and don't run on electricity. And I'd hate to think of all the countless tons of CO2 spewed out by those lemmings who read a press release like this, gather up all the change in the house, and drive around aimlessly for hours looking for a coinstar machine!
-
- +0
-
-
written by Alex, April 16, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by viggen9, April 16, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by jake3988, April 16, 2008
Why can't people do what I do and at the end of every year grab those paper rolls (You know, the 50c of pennies, the $5 of nickels, etc) and stick all the coins left lying around in them and turn them in.
It's like another payday. I've gotten close to $100 sometimes :)
-
- +0
-
-
written by snooj, April 16, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by James Love, April 16, 2008
Canada has a $1 and $2 coin! The world did not end as the critics predicted!
-
- +0
-
-
written by AndyM, April 16, 2008
I was so hopeful in 2000 that the Sacagawea dollar would be embraced and the paper dollar would be phased out. Obviously, that didn't happen. What I don't understand is why the Fed doesn't force the issue. Every time a bank sends them stack of worn-out paper dollars, they could simply replace half with paper and the other half with coin dollars. Over time, paper dollars would just fade away.
-
- +0
-
-
written by Duh, April 16, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by sodapop, April 16, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by Gulag, April 16, 2008
Why would anybody pay 9 percent for the own money?
That is worse than an ATM machine.
Why would anybody trade in change that is worth more than the face value of the coins? Well, besides being a Federal crime to melt them, that is a good deterrent. I think I recall
it costing the mint two cents to mint a penny and
seven cents to mint a nickel. Oh, and now the mint is talking about using cheaper metals for all new coins. First they took the Gold and Silver coins. Now they don't even want you to have zinc, copper, or nickel. It's time to get rid of the Federal Reserve! I don't think CoinStar is relevant
to greener living.
on this site.
-
- +0
-
-
written by lloyd alter, April 16, 2008
-
- +0
-
-
written by Monotonehell, April 18, 2008
It always amazes me how irate people get if they don't get their 2 cents change, but when they get home they just chuck all their spare change into a box or something as worthless and leave it there. I manage to spend all my small change by using it to pay for things (you know... what money is intended for).
Also, paper money? We've had plastic bills and 1 and 2 dollar coins over here for years.
Although why we are still using tokens in this day and age is beyond me.
-
- +0
-
-
written by Martin, August 30, 2008
I like to take my change semi or maybe annually, to my bank where the free coin counting machine processes it and I get a receipt showing that it is in my account. Benefit of that is that there is no charge and it starts to gain interest. That would be a great idea if banks ran campaigns to get your change in increase your savings account and its interest earning poential.
-
- +0
-
-
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
APR 16
" :-\...and oh yes, one more thing. I do not know why we need the 1 and..."
View all Comments